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Please help with new band saw choice

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Fishinbo 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I am very soon going to buy a new Band Saw of which the main purpose of owning one is to resaw logs and also thicker materials. As most of you know ,Woodcraft is having it's sale on the Rikon 18" model 10-345 for a great price of $999.00,a very attractive deal on what I understand to be a great saw. Two other saws I have been seriously considering are the Grizzly 17" and the Gizzly 19" that are the higer end models with the cast iron critical parts. After reserching them ,it seems to me that the Rikon and the Grizzlies appear to be running neck and neck. The only negative factor I have seen on the Rikon is that it has a weak fence system for resawing where Grizzly's resaw fence is one of it's strong points. The Rikon 18" has a 2 1/2 hp motor, the 17" grizzly a 2 hp motor and the 19" Grizzly a 3 hp motor. They all have a 12" resaw capacity. Adding an upgraded fence to the Rikon 18" makes it about the same price as the Grizzly 17" making the sale price of the Rikon 18" a non-issue. Of course the Grizzly 19" 3 hp is of higher cost than the other two,roughly $250.00 more considering everything.

If any of you could give me some helpful insight into my decision making process, I would greatly appreciate it, as I have not seen any of them upclose in the flesh or had an opportunity to cut boards on any of them. Anything you could give me out of your experience would be a great help.

THANK YOU MUCH !!
 
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#4 ·
i have a rikon 10-340 predecessor of the 10-345 and it's a beast. great fit and finish and i've seen that fence concern on other forums where users that resaw a lot have indicated the fence issue is a non-issue. i also know that, for a reasonalble amount, rikon will provide a 3hp leeson motor for the 10-345, which, if power is a concern for you, should eliminate that concern at a reasonable cost. and rikon is a great company. i've also generally heard nothing but praise about grizzly, but i've only seen one negative comment about rikon over the last 5 years on only one forum from a user who i believe was in the phillipines. if you can transport the saw yourself, having it shipped to a woodcraft store for PU may save on shipping costs. with grizzly, there's no way, short of PU @ one of their warehouses, to eliminate the shipping cost. just my $.02.
 
#5 ·
My recent trip to the local WC for some odds and ends, I saw the WC had the 18in Rikon 10-345 sitting on the showroom floor. If you can find a WC with one in stock, then you should NOT have to pay for shipping, just Sales Tax. Otherwise you will find yourself paying BOTH Shipping and Sales Tax. Something to consider, it might be worthwhile to browse your local WC first, before placing an order.
 
#6 ·
You can NOT order online & pick up in store. I orderd my 10-325 BS over the phone from a not too local (3 hours oneway) WOODCRAFT store, to save the shipping charges. As my employer pays for my gas, I saved the shipping cost and it will only cost me my time. Food for thought!
 
#8 ·
Toolie,
Yes, NO shipping charges, after placing my order over the phone, for store pick up. I could NOT order online & arrange for store pick up.
 
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